Today we bring you another edition of "aBn Player Preview." Derek Lowe signed a 4 yr./$60 million deal with the Braves a few days after Smoltzie signed with the Bo-Sox in 'mid January. Lowe is coming off a strong season serving as the L.A. Dodger's ace. He posted a 14-11 record, 3.24 ERA and struck out 147 batters. Lowe has never been a strikeout pitcher, but more so the type of pitcher who attempts to out-smart his opponent and creates ground balls. Lowe will benefit from the Bravos strong defensive infield and the 'pitcher-friendly' environment at Turner Field. Since 2002, only two other pitchers in MLB have tallied more wins than Lowe.
- Roy Oswalt, HOU 115
- Roy HalladaY, TOR 113
- Derek Lowe, ATL 106
Lowe has also earned 12+ wins in every season since becoming a full-time SP. In 2002, Lowe notched 21 wins in 32 appearances for the Bo-Sox. In 2004, Lowe was the winner of the deciding game of the ALDS, ALCS and World Series.
Lowe will serve as the Braves ace this year. Lowe is definitely capable of pitching deep into the game, last year he averaged 6 2/3 innings per game in 34 appearances. During his seven year career as a SP, Lowe has pitched 200+ innings five times. With Derek Lowe and Javier Vazquez at the helm, the Braves can expect two SP's to provide the team with 200+ innings. This will definitely benefit the bullpen, which became tiresome near the end of the season due to lack of innings pitched by starters.
With that in mind, what type of numbers do ya'll think Derek Lowe will have this year?
Posts
I think that Derek Lowe is one of the underrated pitchers in the game and that he will be very successful in Atlanta, because of our defense, and our ballpark. The rotation looks much better this year with Lowe, Vazquez, and Kawakami.
ReplyDeleteLos
Lowe:
ReplyDelete32 starts 15-10 3.40 ERA 150 K's 200 IP
Vazquez:
32 starts 16-10 3.25 ERA 220 K's 210 IP
Our bullpen looks a lot better than it has in the past few years. I think having Glavine as the #5 going into Spring Training is a big sign of how its improved. Last year he was going to serve as the #3 or #4.
ReplyDeletePWHjort I think those are some really solid projections from our front-end of the rotation. I can see Lowe tallying a couple more wins, potentially 17-18. Remember when Lowe arrived in LA they were revamping the team and the following yr. made the playoffs. His pitching was a big reason for making the post-season two of his four years in LA.